Denny Hamlin missed the race in Mexico City, but it didn't seem to impact him as the NASCAR Cup Series rolled into Pocono. With a record seven wins at the 2.5-mile track, it was obvious that the No. 11 Toyota would be fast again, and in qualifying, no one could match his pace. He went to the top of the charts in his fifth pole position at Pocono but his first of the 2025 season.
"Obviously, because I was a little more rested than the field right there, I was able to get a little more speed," joked Hamlin.
"I mean, I love all of them," added Hamlin when asked about Pocono being one of his favorite tracks. "Every week, we have a great shot to win and this team just knows what I need out of the car. And with all the cars and tires and everything that has changed over time, you still make speed at this track the same way. I was able to execute it there in qualifying and that's a good start for us."
Joining Hamlin on the front row will be RFK Racing's Chris Buescher, who ended the session 0.083s behind Hamlin's fast lap. Buescher's first career Cup win came at Pocono back in 2016. Carson Hocevar qualified third, John-Hunter Nemechek fourth, and Cole Custer fifth in some really impressive runs for both the Legacy Motor Club and Haas Factory Team.
Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, and Daniel Suarez filled out the remainder of the top ten.
Qualifying trouble
Four drivers didn't even set a qualifying time. As a result of inspection issues, Brennan Poole's team was not allowed to take part while Cody Ware crashed in practice and was unable to do so. Josh Berry's Wood Brothers No. 21 suffered a broken rear diffuser in the practice, which the team was busy repairing.
And then there was Bubba Wallace, whose No. 23 Toyota would not start when it was his time to go. 23XI Racing tried to push start it but to no avail, and he was visibly frustrated inside the car. A.J. Allmendinger and Todd Gilliland were the two slowest drivers on track, partly because they abandoned their laps after sketchy moments.
But the biggest moment came near the end of qualifying. William Byron wasn't going to challenge for pole, but he was likely going to be inside the top 10 when he lost control through the Tunnel Turn, spinning out and slamming the inside wall. After posting the fastest time in practice, the team will now have to make extensive repairs as they've chosen not to go to a backup car.
Byron's HMS teammate Chase Elliott was on track at the same time and the incident ruined his lap. Luckily, NASCAR allowed him to put on a fresh set of tires and Elliott was allowed to go back out, but that was only good enough for 18th. Shockingly, he was the highest-qualifying Hendrick Motorsports driver. Kyle Larson qualified 24th and Alex Bowman was 25th.
As for Mexico City winner Shane van Gisbergen, he ended up 23rd, matching his best qualifying effort of the season on an oval.
Photos from Pocono - Practice & Qualifying
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| Cla | Driver | # | Manufacturer | Laps | Time | Interval | Mph | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D. HamlinJoe Gibbs Racing | 11 | Toyota | 1 |
52.144 |
172.599 | ||
| 2 | C. BuescherRFK Racing | 17 | Ford | 1 |
+0.083 52.227 |
0.083 | 172.325 | |
| 3 | C. HocevarSpire Motorsports | 77 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.235 52.379 |
0.152 | 171.825 | |
| 4 | J. NemechekLegacy Motor Club | 42 | Toyota | 1 |
+0.246 52.390 |
0.011 | 171.789 | |
| 5 | C. CusterHaas Factory Team | 41 | Ford | 1 |
+0.292 52.436 |
0.046 | 171.638 | |
| 6 | C. BriscoeJoe Gibbs Racing | 19 | Toyota | 1 |
+0.300 52.444 |
0.008 | 171.612 | |
| 7 | T. GibbsJoe Gibbs Racing | 54 | Toyota | 1 |
+0.320 52.464 |
0.020 | 171.546 | |
| 8 | T. Reddick23XI Racing | 45 | Toyota | 1 |
+0.356 52.500 |
0.036 | 171.429 | |
| 9 | C. BellJoe Gibbs Racing | 20 | Toyota | 1 |
+0.381 52.525 |
0.025 | 171.347 | |
| 10 | D. SuarezTrackHouse Racing | 99 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.487 52.631 |
0.106 | 171.002 | |
| 11 | E. JonesLegacy Motor Club | 43 | Toyota | 1 |
+0.488 52.632 |
0.001 | 170.999 | |
| 12 | J. LoganoTeam Penske | 22 | Ford | 1 |
+0.529 52.673 |
0.041 | 170.866 | |
| 13 | R. PreeceRFK Racing | 60 | Ford | 1 |
+0.583 52.727 |
0.054 | 170.691 | |
| 14 | B. KeselowskiRFK Racing | 6 | Ford | 1 |
+0.637 52.781 |
0.054 | 170.516 | |
| 15 | Z. SmithFront Row Motorsports | 38 | Ford | 1 |
+0.659 52.803 |
0.022 | 170.445 | |
| 16 | A. DillonRichard Childress Racing | 3 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.667 52.811 |
0.008 | 170.419 | |
| 17 | N. GragsonFront Row Motorsports | 4 | Ford | 1 |
+0.669 52.813 |
0.002 | 170.413 | |
| 18 | C. ElliottHendrick Motorsports | 9 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.676 52.820 |
0.007 | 170.390 | |
| 19 | A. CindricTeam Penske | 2 | Ford | 1 |
+0.692 52.836 |
0.016 | 170.338 | |
| 20 | R. BlaneyTeam Penske | 12 | Ford | 1 |
+0.693 52.837 |
0.001 | 170.335 | |
| 21 | R. ChastainTrackHouse Racing | 1 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.717 52.861 |
0.024 | 170.258 | |
| 22 | J. HaleySpire Motorsports | 7 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.783 52.927 |
0.066 | 170.046 | |
| 23 | S. van GisbergenTrackHouse Racing | 88 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.818 52.962 |
0.035 | 169.933 | |
| 24 | K. LarsonHendrick Motorsports | 5 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.822 52.966 |
0.004 | 169.920 | |
| 25 | A. BowmanHendrick Motorsports | 48 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.834 52.978 |
0.012 | 169.882 | |
| 26 | K. BuschRichard Childress Racing | 8 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.951 53.095 |
0.117 | 169.507 | |
| 27 | T. DillonKaulig Racing | 10 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.963 53.107 |
0.012 | 169.469 | |
| 28 | M. McDowellSpire Motorsports | 71 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.996 53.140 |
0.033 | 169.364 | |
| 29 | R. Herbst23XI Racing | 35 | Toyota | 1 |
+1.015 53.159 |
0.019 | 169.303 | |
| 30 | R. Stenhouse JrHyak Motorsports | 47 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+1.517 53.661 |
0.502 | 167.720 | |
| 31 | W. ByronHendrick Motorsports | 24 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+5.501 57.645 |
3.984 | 156.128 | |
| 32 | T. GillilandFront Row Motorsports | 34 | Ford | 1 |
+7.037 59.181 |
1.536 | 152.076 | |
| 33 | A. AllmendingerKaulig Racing | 16 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+11.933 1'04.077 |
4.896 | 140.456 | |
| -- | B. PooleNY Racing Team | 44 | Chevrolet | 0 |
NO TIME |
|||
| -- | C. WareRick Ware Racing | 51 | Ford | 0 |
NO TIME |
|||
| -- |
J. BerryWood Brothers Racing
|
21 | Ford | 0 |
NO TIME |
|||
| -- | B. Wallace23XI Racing | 23 | Toyota | 0 |
NO TIME |
